Lehigh Committee Salutes Its Staunchest Republican

Ninety-seven-year-old Gertrude Schlaefer is a Mike Tyson, a Hank Aaron, a Joe Montana in her field of expertise.

Her fame doesn't stem from knockouts, home runs or touchdown passes. She excels in voting.

The Allentown resident has cast her ballot in every election but one since women won the right to vote in 1920. She missed one primary "in the early days," as best as she can remember, because of an illness in the family.

Members of the Lehigh County Republican Committee honored Schlaefer for her remarkable voting record and years of devotion to the party at a meeting last week. Fittingly, it was Schlaefer's 97th birthday.

"Thanks, everybody," she said, tears in her eyes as she looked at the cake prepared for her.

Schlaefer said her interest in the Republican party kept her returning to the polls year after year, and she never supported a Democrat. She concedes she sometimes was disappointed in the performance of her Republican choices. Mostly, she was pleased.

"I just felt that they were the right party," said Schlaefer, a soft-spoken, somewhat shy woman who believes in Republican ideals: Efficiency in government, equal representation for women and men and free enterprise. "I guess the word sounded good to me."

A staunch supporter of President George Bush, she guesses he has been her favorite candidate. She measures politicians by how well they live up to their promises.

Schlaefer remembers little about her first vote, except that she filled out a ballot and put it in a box. Since then, boxes have been replaced by voting booths -- a more efficient way to gather and calculate results.

Schlaefer, who saw both presidents Richard Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower sworn in, made many trips to Harrisburg in her younger days. She worked as executive secretary to the Lehigh County party until she was 89.

She serves as a member of the county Council of Republican Women and as Republican committeewoman. For 38 years, she worked at the county courthouse in the Register of Wills and then Recorder of Deeds offices.

"One time she even worked two weeks at the jail," said her friend, Helen Gaumer.

Schlaefer elbowed Gaumer, gave her a disapproving laugh and said, "Don't put that in (the newspaper)."

With a bit of prompting, Schlaefer recalled monitoring prisoners who were carpet-making. She said she wasn't scared being near those who had broken the law. But she didn't like it, especially "having to wait for somebody to open that big door" at the end of the day.

Her thoughts on working for the Republican party -- something she did for more than 20 years -- were much brighter.

"I liked meeting all the people," she said. "They were very nice."

And everyone liked Schlaefer, said Sally Meminger, a member of the Lehigh County Election Board. The board misses Schlaefer and her successful efforts to persuade people to fill vacancies on the board, Meminger said.

"She would take care of vacancies right away," the board member attested. "Gertrude knew everyone, right down to every zip code. ... She's sorely missed."

At the Episcopal House, she used to urge fellow residents to register to vote, although she's eased up on that quest in recent years.

Schlaefer said she will continue to vote -- Republican, of course -- as long as she is able and will attend Republican meetings.

"I don't feel my age," she said, attributing her condition to her activity and walking in her younger years.

Lehigh County Commissioner Sterling Raber congratulated Schlaefer at the party this week and told her he knows farmers in their early 90s who kept doing their job until recently.